which will be the best area to stay for 5 days trip in terms of food, shopping, places of interest

First of all, Chaoshan area refers to Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang, so I wonder whether your third destination is JY. Anyway, Shatou is an ideal place as your base for all requirements. Compared with the other two, it would better meet your demands for dining and shopping. Transportation among the places are very convenient, so it is easy for sightseeing.

thank you so much

Hi... My husband, daughter and I are also travelling to JY late November . We are also staying for 5 nights and after some research, I think Hefeng international Business Hotel is not too bad. We are going to visit my husband's cousin. The last trip we made was 2 years ago, n we stayed in Rongjiang. A very good hotel.